But spokesman signals IMF could be preparing contingency plans in case of default
By Ian Talley, Wall Street Journal
The International Monetary Fund doesn’t expect Greece to exit the eurozone, a spokesman said Thursday, but he signaled the IMF could be preparing contingency plans if Athens defaults.
“Our baseline position is that we don’t expect an exit,” IMF spokesman Gerry Rice told reporters in a regular briefing when asked if the fund was preparing for a so-called Grexit. “As with all other countries, we are always looking at different scenarios…that is par for the course with the IMF,” he said.
As the standoff between Greece and its creditors over emergency financing continues, some eurozone finance ministers have acknowledged they are considering plans on what to do if the country defaults on its debt obligations coming due in the coming weeks.
Mr. Rice also said that Athens hadn’t given the IMF sufficient access to its accounts for the fund to determine if the government has sufficient cash to meet all of its coming obligations.
The spokesman said that Greece owes the IMF a €200 million interest payment on May 6 and a principal payment of €750 million is due on May 12.
